Creating the Mentor
The Mentor is a great character to have as an NPC in the party. he can advise and caution and move the plot along. The Mentor can even be a PC if one player is significantly more experienced than the others, and willing to play along. Some of the most memorable characters in fiction are mentors: Henri Ducard (Batman Begins), Albus Dumbeldore (Harry Potter and the Series that Wouldn't End), Gandalf (duh), Obi-won Kenobi (likewise duh). Mentors can be old heroes, failed heroes, penitent villains, corrupting villains, quirky scholars, insane, prophetic, and on and on. People remember the mentors- Mr. Miyagi, Merlin, Piccolo, Dr Dre, etc... So build them properly. Designing the Mentor Type of Mentor Not all mentors are the same. The Type of Mentor is defined by the Major Character delineations we defined earlier. #Mentor/ Threshold Guardian: The Trainer (i.e. Mr. Miyagi, Yoda) #Mentor/ Shadow: The Seducer (i.e. Darth Krayt, Piccolo) #Mentor/ Ally: The Sergeant (i.e. Hudson, Flint Fireforge) #Mentor/ Trickster: The Cheshire Cat (i.e. the Cheshire Cat, Mirth) #Mentor/ Shapeshifter: The Transformer (Sirius Black, Severus Snape) #Mentor Only: The Advisor (Albus Dumbledore, Obi-Won Kenobi) The Type of Guidance given by the Mentor Roll or pick either 2 or 3 additional types of guidance beyond the required type. The option to pick is mentioned here, because it is possible that a Game Master might roll types of guidance that are odds with the type of Mentor listed above. It is recommended that the Game Master give any apparently contradictory rolls some consideration, because apparent contradictions- if they can be reconciled- make great plot points. Required type of guidance: The Rules of the Special World Other Types of Guidance: #Story Background #Villain Background #Expertise #Training #Adventure Hints #Noble Sacrifice Character Development Following this the Game Master can further define the Type of Character their Mentor Figure possesses. At this point the Game Master can start to add flesh to what has essentially been a story device until now. Roll a d10 to determine Gender 1-4 Male 5-8 Female 9 No Gender 10 Other An Example of a non-gendered being would be a robot, a golem, an asexual species, an intelligent program, etc... An example of other would be a species with more than two genders. Follow this by rolling for Race 1-70 Majority 71-95 Minority 95-100 Unique As races vary heavily between games further elaboration here will be dependent upon the Game Master. Unique races could mean inventing something totally new, but is more easily used by making a simple a visible modification to an existing race and incorporating this difference from the default race as part of the Mentor's motivation. Every major Character should have a quirk. Roll a d6 to determine the Mentor's Quirk. 1-3 Verbal 4-5 Behavioral 6 Item Next, determine if the Mentor knows the villain. 1-30 No 31-60 Knows of Villain 61-81 Knows Villain 82-100 Knows Villain very well Add a +20% bonus if Villain Background was rolled for one of the types of guidance the Mentor gives. If the result is still a "No", then the villain background will be on the position that the villain is occupying, his predecessor, or the general type of person capable of doing what the villain is attempting. If at this point, the mentor doesn't feel fleshed out enough, then use the zodiac system to add depth. Category:The Journey System Category:Characters Category:NPC Design Category:Tips and Tricks